An opportunity to 'Give Back' to our community

This was just some of the feedback received from the 17 local charity representatives who attended our first Skills Exchange event at GCHQ on 18 October, kindly facilitated by Involve Gloucestershire.

Thirty-six members of staff had volunteered to act as mentors on a number of topics including IT, HR, marketing, social media, fund-raising, website-building and communications planning. Cordell Ray, CEO from County Community Projects (CCP), Margaret Firth from the Office for Civil Society, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and one of our Directors' General welcomed the charities for what turned out to be a most productive and enjoyable afternoon.

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It was also a great opportunity for some of Gloucestershire’s smaller charities to network and discuss issues of mutual interest. This was the first time we have run an event of this nature, but feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we hope that support will continue in the months to come.

Claire Townshend from Salters Hill said: "Really useful to have another pair of eyes looking at issues from a different perspective, that of a large organisation. I was impressed that they had done their homework on our organisation to give the best advice and use the time well".

Margaret Firth from DCMS explained how important it was for businesses to support local charities in this way and how employees were being encouraged to donate some of their time to share their skills with the voluntary sector. "Skills Exchange, as GCHQ has done with its Give Back day, provides the opportunity for employees and local community organisations to work together to create impactful volunteering relationships".

Cordell Ray from CCP added: "We have worked closely with GCHQ for several years, and we are always impressed by the enthusiasm and ingenuity of their staff who have helped some of our local charities and voluntary organisations in a variety of ways. This is a new and exciting venture for us and one we hope to replicate for other businesses in the county".